Method

Pan Yun drew five talismans in a row until her brush strokes felt difficult, then she stopped.

She stacked the finished talismans, placing two on him and keeping the rest for herself.

With a triple blessing, she didn't believe anything could happen to her now.

Pan Yun glanced at the child. He could dodge at least two calamities. Fate couldn't be changed, but luck could. If luck changed enough, fate would change too.

Heaven wanted him dead, but she insisted on fighting it. Anyway, she also had to save her father and brother and restore the Pan Family. Arguing with fate was just one more thing.

Pan Yun didn't want to stay here long. She told the child to go to sleep, and then she took out all her money to count it.

There was a five-tael silver ingot and some silver bits she'd found on two human traffickers. By her not-so-professional estimation, they should be worth about seven or eight taels.

Her own money box had about 2,300 copper coins. The human traffickers had even fewer, only a little over six strings, with a hundred coins per string. She hadn't counted carefully at the time, but now that she was starting to spend money, she counted the remainder and found she still didn't have much.

Excluding the money she spent on food, steamed buns, and lodging today, she now had 2,579 coins left. Oh, and that didn't include the one tael of silver she spent today, which also came from the human traffickers.

Although the two human traffickers were poorer than she expected, when she converted it, she found that what she'd gotten from them was more than her savings over the past eight years.

She wondered if this money would be enough to rent a carriage. Not having household registration was also a problem. Nowadays, everything required household registration or a travel permit.

Carriage and Horse Agencies didn't rent out carriages just for money.

The court's management of population movement was very strict; people couldn't migrate or move freely.

Of course, this didn't apply to the "wildlings" and refugees who didn't enter cities.

But she couldn't be a wildling or a refugee. To get from here to Datong, she had to pass through towns.

Pan Yun looked back at the child sleeping soundly, picked up the black cat, and nimbly leaped out the window.

Night had just fallen, and the streets were already empty. The alley where she landed was deserted. She looked up at the room she had been in, noted its position, and left.

She needed to get a travel permit and a household registration page. If a travel permit wasn't strictly required, she could use the household registration page as a substitute. In emergencies, a travel permit could also be useful.

Her plan was good, but standing at the street corner, she realized she knew nothing about She County and therefore didn't know where to get these things.

Pan Yun thought simply: the dark night was the best cover for the black market. No matter how small She County was, it should have one, right?

Pan Yun walked along the walls, her entire figure hidden by the shadows. People hurrying home on the street passed by her, and no one noticed the person walking along the base of the wall.

Pan Yun, holding the black cat, walked around She County. When she returned to the street where the inn was, she looked confused. "She County's public security is actually so good. It's late at night, and there isn't a single person causing trouble. There's not even a black market?"

The black cat silently mocked her.

Pan Yun grabbed its neck. "What are you grinning about?"

The black cat's body stiffened, and it dared not make a sound.

Pan Yun stroked its fur, suppressing her anger, and returned to the room through the window, feeling very unhappy.

It was a pity that most of the beggars in the city had been driven out, and the rest had hidden themselves. She couldn't even find them to buy information.

Beggars went door-to-door begging; they were the most well-informed.

Pan Yun turned to look at the child sprawled asleep on the bed, sighing. She had a ready-made beggar, but he was too young.

Pan Yun decided to visit the Carriage and Horse Agency tomorrow and stop dwelling on it. She sat down cross-legged and cultivated the Lesser Heavenly Cycle twice before stopping and going to bed.

After a night's sleep, the child's face was rosy. He said happily, "This is the best sleep I've ever had."

Seeing his cuteness, Pan Yun also smiled. She got up and said, "Let's go eat. After we're full, we'll go to the Carriage and Horse Agency."

The child: "I know where the Carriage and Horse Agency is. It's not good to beg for food over there. This street is the best for begging."

"Then you lead the way later."

She County wasn't big. How large could a county be that Pan Yun could explore its alleys in half an hour?

The Carriage and Horse Agency was only a fifteen-minute walk from this street.

Pan Yun took the child's hand and went in to ask for prices.

There were few people at the Carriage and Horse Agency. There were many people at the entrance, but fewer people further inside, and the goods became more valuable.

At the entrance, many ox carts, mule carts, and donkeys were parked. Further inside were various carts and livestock for rent individually. Even further inside were chartered carriages, and at the very back were horses for sale.

Pan Yun only asked out of curiosity and lost interest. The prices were too high; her money wasn't even enough for the decimal points.

She then went to ask about renting a carriage.

"From here to Datong?" The manager sized up Pan Yun and the child and asked, "Are you coming back?"

Pan Yun lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What's the price for returning, and what's the price for not returning?"

"Forty taels if you return. The employer must cover the driver's food and lodging for the entire journey. Thirty taels if you don't return, and you must cover the food and lodging for the outbound journey." The manager asked, "How many people are in your family, and how many carriages do you want to rent?"

Very well. Pan Yun, whose total money didn't exceed twenty taels, gave up. She asked, "Are there any shared rides?"

The manager: "There are short-distance ones, but no long-distance ones. It's too far from here to Datong. There are shared rides to the capital. If you were going to the capital, Miss, I could charge you fifteen taels."

Pan Yun: ... How bored was she to go back to the capital?

However, the manager's words gave her an idea. Pan Yun asked, "From here to Datong, what's the next town?"

The manager: "You'll have to go to Qingfeng in Daming Prefecture."

Pan Yun: "How much does it cost to go from here to Qingfeng?"

She didn't mind returning to Daming Prefecture. Those two people definitely weren't there anymore, so going back was fine; she could avoid them.

The manager held up five fingers and said, "Fifty wen per person."

She could afford that. Pan Yun smiled. "When do we leave? There are two of us."

The manager pointed outside. "See that line of ox carts, mule carts, and horse carriages? Go ask who's heading to Qingfeng. Usually, there's a cart going out once a day."

Upon hearing this, Pan Yun immediately grabbed the child and rushed over. She quickly found a horse carriage with six people already inside.

The cart had no canopy, just an open flatbed. Everyone placed their luggage in the middle of the cart and sat facing outwards, with their legs dangling. Three people could sit in the front, four on each side, and two in the back.

When Pan Yun asked, the driver immediately said, "Hurry and call your family. We're leaving soon. Pay first, then get on the cart."

Pan Yun asked, "Can children get a discount?"

The driver frowned and sized up her small frame. "Not you, but your younger brother can be ten wen cheaper."

Pan Yun counted out ninety wen for him.

The driver was taken aback. "Where are your parents and family? Why are you letting two children travel alone? I'm not responsible for watching people."

"I'm going to Qingfeng to find my father. He'll pick us up when we get there."

Hearing this, the driver allowed them to board.

Pan Yun lifted the child onto the cart, then climbed on herself. They chose to sit in the back, a distance away from the others, which was quite peaceful.

As expected, the cart started moving as soon as they got on.

The cart left the city, and the soldiers only checked the luggage on the cart before waving them through.

To Pan Yun's surprise, when they entered Qingfeng in the evening, the guards checked everyone else's travel permits, but for this cart, they still only inspected the luggage and glanced at the travel permit the driver presented before letting them pass.

Pan Yun's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment's thought, she understood. These drivers followed fixed routes and traveled between two places year-round. The soldiers at the city gate saw them every day and were very familiar with them, so they naturally didn't inspect them thoroughly.

This was great, truly great. Even without her household registration or travel permit, she could travel all the way to Datong by taking short-distance carts.

It was a long way from here to Datong, but the next county north of this one wasn't far.

Finding a feasible route, Pan Yun grinned, overjoyed.

She couldn't help but say to the child, "This talisman really works! Our good luck has arrived, hasn't it?"

Pan Yun carefully calculated the money she had. If they stayed in inns in every county, this money would hardly last them until Datong.

However, if they didn't stay in inns and only ate, the cart fare would be enough. After all, sharing short-distance carts was much cheaper than chartering a long-distance one.

So, upon entering the city again, Pan Yun didn't look for an inn. She took the child and hid in an alley not far from the city gate. After eating, they found a secluded spot to spend the night.

The child was very familiar with this kind of life and didn't complain at all. Once he was full, he lay down and leaned against Pan Yun to sleep.

Pan Yun covered his eyes. "Wait until I do a magic trick for you."

The child heard this and closed his eyes tightly. Pan Yun chanted, "Heaven above, Earth below, revered Daoist, pity me and send a quilt!"

When she released her hands, the child saw a quilt suddenly appear in their arms. He let out a "wow," overjoyed, and shouted, "It worked! It really worked!"

Pan Yun laughed and spread the quilt on the ground, letting him lie in it, covering half and leaving half exposed. This way, it was very warm. "Hurry and sleep. We have to take the cart again tomorrow."

The child happily agreed and slid into the quilt with a whoosh.

Pan Yun sat down cross-legged and, as usual, began to meditate and cultivate.

It wasn't until late at night that she finished. She then lay down in the quilt, and they slept close together.

The black cat was placed by her head. "You keep watch," she said.

Pan Little Black was already accustomed to this. He opened his eyes, like polished glass, and looked towards the alley entrance.

Having found a suitable way to travel, Pan Yun found a Carriage and Horse Agency the next day and took a shared cart north to the next county.

Changing carts every day like this, by the fourth day, she was already close to the Jijing Region.

The further north they went, the stricter the checks at the city gates became. On the evening of the fourth day, as they approached the city gate, the driver called out, "Everyone, quickly take out your travel permits and household registration pages. You'll need them to enter the city soon."

Pan Yun immediately asked to get off the cart. "My second uncle doesn't live in the city; he lives in the village over there. I'll get off here."

The driver agreed and stopped, letting her off.

Pan Yun got off the cart, holding the child. She shook her numb legs and looked at the long queue of people waiting to enter the city. "Let's go take a closer look and see if there's a cheaper way to get into the city."

She led the child forward. There were many people by the city gate as well. Most of them had family members waiting in line for them, standing aside and waiting to go in. There were also many notices posted on the city wall. Those who could read stood there looking at the latest announcements.

Pan Yun also led the child forward and looked up. At a glance, she saw a familiar person on the wall.

Isn't that me?

Pan Yun's eyes widened. She quickly looked left and right, finding that no one had noticed her. Then, she looked up and quickly scanned the wanted poster.

Her name wasn't written on it. It only said she was related to a major court case and that anyone who found this person should report it to the yamen immediately to claim a reward of ten taels of silver.

If someone could capture the person and hand them over to the authorities, the reward would be twenty taels.

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